Like a Boss with Michael Cohen

(Record 5-12-25) As we know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. As we also know, so many of our colleagues, friends and family members meaningfully struggle with mental health concerns every single day, regardless of the month. ❓ What can we do? 🤔 Robin Williams once said, "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always." And, while we all know this statement t...

(Recorded 5-4-25) A very personal message about leadership. We spent the weekend in Ann Arbor, celebrating the Class of 2025. 🎓 We attended Commencement Ceremonies, spent time with dear friends and family and laughed 🤣 and cried 😭 about the last four years. During the weekend, I also took some time to reflect on how our daughter, Mia Cohen , was able to achieve her goal of attending, and now gr...

The challenges organizational leaders face continue to change and to become more complex. One constant, however, remains our need to manage our employees’ performance, whether they are working from our office 🏢 or their office at home 🏠. As we know, proper documentation and managing our employees with empathy are crucial for a myriad of employee relations and litigation (avoidance) reasons. And...

As a softball 🥎 coach, I constantly tell my players that their best ability is availability. These young women truly understand that if they are not physically and mentally ready to go, their value is diminished, and the potential success of the team is compromised. 👎 As leaders, our best ability is accessibility. The more our employees view us as physically, emotionally and mentally available t...

Most of us spend more time awake with our co-workers than we do with our own family or friends. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 👨‍👨‍👦‍👦 👩‍👩‍👧‍👧 We develop friendships with our colleagues. Which, is wonderful. Overwhelmingly, these relationships enhance our workplace experiences and improve collegiality. 😁 However, at times that same sense of familiarity can bring with it a false sense of security. We assume...

Question for you: Why do managers become managers ❓ ❓ ❓ Overwhelmingly, the answer is not because we think they will be effective leaders. Usually these promotions are the result of the person's being technically proficient and successful (however that is defined) in whatever job they held. They were a star!⭐ So, we promote them and wish them the best of luck (🤞🤞 🤞 ) without providing them...

In the 2009 movie "Up In The Air," 🛩️ George Clooney and Anna Kendrick collaborate to terminate the employment of J.K. Simmons. Clooney, a student of the human condition, simultaneously is direct, respectful and empathetic. Kendrick, a student of data and organizational studies, fundamentally misunderstands how crucial being a person is during these conversations. Bottom line, firing people is on...

(Recorded 3-21-25) If there is one thing we've learned over the last several months and years, all we can predict is a lack of predictability. But how do you, as a leader, respond and react in the face of this seemingly ever-changing workplace landscape? Ask yourself a few questions and be honest with your responses: - Do you come unhinged when a situation does not go as planned❓ - Do you turn pl...

(Recorded 3-15-25) Given the goings-on and the seemingly daily changes in the workplace, prudent organizations are focusing on the safety and well-being of their employees and have doubled down on harassment prevention trainings and other sessions that enhance the employee experience. That has kept me plenty busy and I am so gratified to be a part of this concentration on workplace culture. One su...

The incomparable Robin Williams once said, “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” Truer words have never been shared. And, intellectually, most leaders understand this statement to be true. Tragically, far too many of those same leaders keep that understanding buried in the recesses of their brains. Move that idea closer, with a permanent place in front o...

"Thinking is difficult. That's why most people judge." Carl Jung This idea of judgment and laziness rather than deliberation and thoughtfulness very often is the foundation of implicit bias. We stereotype and generalize as a way to protect ourselves from and against those things with which we are not familiar. It's safe. It's easy. It's a sure fire way to guarantee homogeneity and a lack of inclus...

Are you a good listener? Are you sure? As a leader, a co-worker or a friend, the willingness to listen can be a difference maker in someone's daily experience or even in someone's life. But, the ability simultaneously to shut one's mouth and open one's ears is becoming a dying art. Most people think they are good listeners. But, ask yourself a few questions: 1. Do you interrupt, even if to share a...

The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl Champions! How did they do it? How did this organization reach the pinnacle of the National Football League (NFL) ? Look no further than the hiring practices the team employed in assembling its roster. Who did the Eagles bring into the nest? Players with flaws? ✅ Players overlooked or looked past? ✅ Players cast off by other franchises? ✅ Players who rival...

Robin Williams once said, "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always." Since I started this video series, so many of you have reached out, asking how you can help your employees in this new world of Executive Orders and the roll back of some very basic and fundamental human rights. My answer: Get in the hole. What does that mean? Make sure that your employees,...

Harassment claims are on the rise and the EEOC is coming - maybe for you! As you know, in April 2024, the EEOC issued its Guidance on Workplace Harassment ( https://lnkd.in/eiCc2663 ). Recently, the Commission updated that Guidance and made absolutely clear that an organization's failure to provide harassment prevention training or its providing inadequate training may lead to liability ( https://...

Thank you all so much for the incredible response to Episode 1. Your feedback, both on-line and off-line, has been heartening and incredibly instructive. Please keep it coming! Today's episode takes aim at the Workplace Golden Rule - that leaders must treat all employees the same all the time and that we should strive for 100% consistency. Might this kind of management minimize litigation risks? M...

(Recorded 1-20-25) I'm excited to launch the first installment of my workplace podcast series. So many of you have been kind enough to express your enthusiasm and to share your thoughts for subjects. I am hoping that you enjoy today's episode and that, as I continue with more, they become a regular part of your content consumption. I'm trying to keep the episodes authentic and practical. That is t...